It's A Family Thing
by SquickWrites
Summary: More or less. Or maybe it's just a Hotaru thing. The Shizumi family has been somewhat separated for a while, but one letter from seemingly the wrong person changes that... But honestly, if they don't want her around, why does she even bother? Screw it!


**Because I wish to show you just how screwed up Hotaru really SHOULD be. But she isn't.**

**Yet ;D**

**Uhm, this is just to speak of the family and how she's really been holding up. I know, I know, Hotaru's backdrop has just been snippets, snippets and MORE SNIPPETS. But I think this will help, more or less.**

**Kay?**

**Thanx**

**~Ota ;~;**

Hotaru sat in the back of the club room, tapping a piece of paper against a table. The paper was clearly a letter in a pink envelope. The envelope was covered in a strange perfume, however Hotaru had recognized it as soon as she caught a whiff. The paper was beginning to mash against the table as Hotaru looked around the room confusedly. Everyone was hosting as they should have been, but things seemed to be moving way too fast for her at the moment. For some reason, the clock kept ticking no matter how she urged it to stop. She could tell that the hosts were growing concerned as they continually glanced back at her, but they didn't break form as she sat there, nibbling away at the ends of her hair.

As the club hours ended, Hikaru and Kaoru approached Hotaru. "You seem a little out of character today." They uttered at the same time.

Hotaru put a foot onto the table and pushed back, leaning her chair on its hind legs. "Maybe. A little. I've just been out of it."

Hunny had mythically appeared, Usa clutched to his chest. "Hota-chan, you don't seem okay! Is something wrong? Takashi was getting upset..!"

It was then that Hotaru noticed that the whole club had migrated around her. She stomped the chair down and stood quickly, spinning away from them. She stood on her toes and held up the pink envelope. "It's just this letter. Kinda threw me off my a-game."

Hikaru plucked the letter out of Hotaru's hand "Doesn't this seem oddly flirtatious?" He asked, before she grabbed it back.

"Nonono, nothing like that. It's just a letter from… er… my sister." She said uncertainly.

Kyoya lifted an eyebrow. "Interesting considering what I've heard."

"What _have_ you heard?" Hotaru asked quickly.

"Hotaru… when was the last time you heard from your family?" He asked. Hotaru nodded, knowing what he was considering and that he was probably right. "It's been nearly five years now, right?" he continued.

It was then that Hotaru realized how quiet the room was. Silence was erupting in her ears and she didn't know if she could handle it. "Correct." She muttered, hoping to fill space. But the word just lingered in the air like a dead scent that everyone wanted to be rid of.

"Five years? Why?" Kaoru asked suddenly.

Hotaru shrugged. "If I knew I would tell you. I think my mom just doesn't like me or something. Or something… or… yknow… something." She muttered.

Despite everything that she had just admitted, Hotaru's mind was elsewhere. Tamaki hadn't spoken since this conversation started. Odd… Hotaru turned to him, but he seemed to be somewhere else. His eyes were pointed straight at Hotaru but were somehow glazed. It was then that Hotaru had remembered the story behind Tamaki's family, the truth about his own mother… and she suddenly felt ashamed.

Hikaru and Kaoru asked the question they had all been wondering.

"What did the letter say?"

Hotaru stiffened and then laughed. It was an awkward laugh that was too nervous. Her eyes closed as she laughed, trying to avoid eye-contact. "Nothing important. My mom's just getting married is all."

Hotaru could see the host's eyes widening. "What do you mean getting married?" Haruhi called out.

"Wellllll….. you seeee…." She dragged out each word. "About five or six years ago, my parents got divorced." She put her hands together silently in a kind of clapping motion, but rubbed them instead. "Aaaand after that… my father kind of… flew off the radar. I haven't seen him since. Err…. And that's really all there is to it. I have nothing to say… so yknow, Mom must have met some new guy and wants to get married. Or something." Or something. Or something. The phrase kept zooming through her head. It was all she could come up with instead of real answers.

Tamaki finally spoke up. "But I thought you said the letter was from your sister? Shouldn't the message come from your… mom?" He asked quietly.

Hotaru seemed to shrink. "Probably should have… probably should have…" she could not stop herself from constantly repeating. "But it didn't… because… it… didn't… I think like… I don't know… maybe my sister just wanted to send it or something… err… maybe my mom didn't really want me to find out?" Her last statement slipped from her mind to her mouth by accident. It sounded like a question, because it had been a question in her head. _Maybe she didn't really want me to find out?_ While she was answering the host's questions, she was trying to answer them herself. And the question came out as an answer.

Depressingly, she realized, that one was the most likely.


End file.
